Coming to Terms
by Chiharu-senpai
Summary: Can Tsubomi come to terms with who she loves? Will who she loves feel the same way? YayaxTsubomi. Bad summary, but a good story.
1. Chapter One: This One Girl

Hello! _¡Hola! Salut! _and all that. (Yay I'm trilingual!)

If you've read Bienvenue en France, Nagisa! and now you're reading this, I'm trying to write TamaoxNagisa stories and YayaxTsubomi stories separately (that sentence did not make any sense). I thought it would be fun to establish how Yaya and Tsubomi met. This is taking place during Tsubomi's first year and Yaya's third — when the series was set. I'll try to keep the events right, but I might edit a few. The rating may change in the future.

Oh, and before I start, since Yaya and Tsubomi are in choir and I'm a choir/band geek I'll probably be injecting lots of music terminology. I'll explain what they mean. Here's two that are mentioned in the first chapter:

**Rest: **A rest is a moment of silence where you don't play or sing. A rest can range in length from one beat to infinite bars if the arranger so wants it to last that long.

**Fermata: **You can find a fermata over a note or a rest. When you see a fermata over a rest, for example, that means you should remain quiet until the director indicates that the fermata has ended. Basically, just hold a note or a rest for as long as the director wants. I know my choir director likes to be cruel and make you hold a high E for forty-five seconds as a joke lol.

* * *

**COMING TO TERMS**

**Chapter One**

**This One Girl…**

Her heart still racing from the fun she had outside, twelve-year-old Okuwaka Tsubomi lined up with the rest of her fifth grade class. She shook her head disdainfully as the geriatric recess staff struggled to round up some insubordinate fourth graders. _An upperclassman should know better than to disobey recess staff. How will this look to the kindergarteners?_

An early March breeze gently set Tsubomi's roseate locks aloft. Behind her, she heard a giggle, felt something — or someone — catch her hair. She turned to face her grinning friend, Suzuki George.

"Gah! You were playing in the dirt!" she protested. She jerked back, then cried out as George inadvertently held on.

"Gomenasai," he apologized, releasing her hair. "I was playing baseball with Sousuke-kun and Sato-kun and all them. Why didn't you join us?"

"Because I'm a lady, and ladies don't play baseball." Tsubomi turned her nose up and flipped a stray lock behind her shoulder — her most ladylike pose.

"Hitomi-chan played baseball with us."

"Well, then I guess she's not a lady."

"You're no fun," he teased.

"Am too," she retorted, bristling.

"Are not."

"Am too."

"Are not."

"Am too."

"Are too."

"Am not — wait…"

"Hah!"

---

Kusanagi-sensei stood patiently as all thirty students of her class rushed in noisily, laughing and squealing. Some of the more obedient students found their desks immediately and sat down. But most of the class just stood and chatted.

"Sit down, boys and girls," she ordered.

A few kids did as they were told.

Tsubomi rolled her golden eyes and turned in her seat impatiently. "C'mon, just sit down!"

Eventually everybody was seated. Some people glared at the pinkette. Some muttered insults, one among them being "bossy boots" (an insult she had been hearing since she was six).

Kusanagi-sensei quickly walked to her desk and retrieved three big envelopes.

"For those students who took the Astraea Hill entrance exams in December, your results are in. When I call you up, you may come up here to, uh, accept your envelope…Okay?...Okay…" An eyebrow raised curiously, Kusanagi-sensei turned the first envelope over. "Chiharu-san."

Tsubomi was practically on the edge of her chair. She herself took the exams just before Christmas break. Now she knew she had been accepted to one of the three schools. They wouldn't send a ginormous envelope just for a letter telling her she wasn't accepted, would they?

"Minako-san," Kusanagi-sensei called.

The pinkette watched as shy Minako made her way to the front. She fervently hoped she'd go to Spica. True, it wasn't the most prestigious school of the trio (Miator was), but it had something Miator didn't…So hung up on what Spica had over Miator was the wee fifth grader that she nearly missed it when Kusanagi-sensei called her name. Tsubomi leaped up, nearly tripping over her desk. Throwing a quick glare in the laughing George's direction, she pranced up to accept her envelope.

"I understand this is exciting," the teacher said dully, "but please do not tear up your envelopes in the middle of class. They will have to wait until later." She glanced meaningfully at Chiharu, who then ceased her tearing and looked down, ears red.

Minako pouted as she reluctantly pulled out her spelling book. "That's so mean of her," she whispered to Tsubomi and Chiharu.

"Yeah," Chiharu agreed sullenly.

Tsubomi shrugged. "I'm patient. I can wait to open my envelope."

But her fingers inched closer to the said envelope.

---

To say that Tsubomi was excited to get home was the understatement of the year, possibly even the millennium. She was so eager that she hopped on her bike, forgot to unlock it, and sent herself sprawling in the dirt, giving George another reason to laugh at her.

"Laugh, I nearly died," she growled as he helped her up.

"Don't you look so ladylike," he smirked.

"Shut up."

Tsubomi would get scolded tomorrow for skipping her crossing guard duty, but at the moment she plum forgot. She flew through the streets, probably pissing off some drivers, toward the simple suburbian house in which she, her parents, and her little sister Akiko lived. She didn't even bother braking as she came up the driveway. She just hopped off, the bike clattered on the pavement, and she stumbled, nearly falling. Tsubomi quickly glanced about. To her relief, nobody was around to see that. She couldn't take much more humiliation today.

"I'm ho-ome!" she cried, dashing inside. She threw down her backpack — an unusually careless gesture for Tsubomi — and flopped down on the couch.

"Aren't you bright and bushy-tailed," Mr. Okuwaka observed, grinding coffee beans for when Mrs. Okuwaka would get home from work.

"I got a response from Astraea Hill!" Tsubomi exclaimed, tearing open the envelope as Chiharu had hers.

"Really?" Mr. Okuwaka ceased his coffee grinding and loped into the living room. He was tall and heavy with neatly cropped fuchsia hair and topaz-colored eyes.

Nine-year-old Akiko arrived home then on her own bicycle. Coming into the house, she announced quizzically, "Oneechan, why weren't you frosting guard today?"

Tsubomi looked up in shock. "Oh, poo! I forgot!" She jumped up. "Should I run back there?"

"By the time you get back there everyone will have left," said Mr. Okuwaka. "And Akiko, Tsubomi is a _crossing _guard. There's no such thing as a frosting guard."

"There _could _be," Akiko insisted as Tsubomi pulled a letter from the envelope. She read it aloud.

"'Dear Okuwaka Tsubomi,'" she read, "'We thank you for showing interest in our Astraea Hill schools and for sending us your test scores. We are happy to inform you that you will be inducted into St. Spica's Class of 2012.' I GOT INTO SPICA! OH MY GOD!" she squealed. Both Akiko and Mr. Okuwaka checked their ears for blood.

Tsubomi jumped up and held her hands out to her sister. "High fives, Akiko!"

Akiko hesitantly slapped Tsubomi's hands.

"Do you know what this _means?_"

"That you're a dweeb?" Akiko suggested softly.

"Don't call me 'dweeb,' you scragglecat!"

"Read the rest of the letter," Mr. Okuwaka ordered.

With a huff, Tsubomi complied.

"'For more information about Spica, we suggest you log onto our website at w-w-w dot Spica Academy dot e-d-u. You may also check out the enclosed brochure. Also enclosed is a survey form; this is to match you up with a room mate in Strawberry Hall. On June 14th you are to come to Astraea Hill to register for classes. You may also take a tour of the campus. We wish you luck on your future endeavors at Astraea Hill. Congratulations. Sincerely, Minegishi Naomi, St. Spica Dean of Admissions.'"

Mr. Okuwaka clapped his hands together. "This is great, Tsubomi! We should celebrate! What would you like?"

"Coffee." The pinkette hadn't missed a beat.

Her father blinked. "Coffee?"

"Hai."

"But you hate coffee."

"I'm willing to give it another shot." Tsubomi was flipping through her Spica brochure. Her imminent future at this marvelous school left her breathless. "If I'm old enough to go to Astraea Hill, I'm old enough to drink coffee."

"Okay…" Laughing, Mr. Okuwaka added more beans to the grinder.

Tsubomi was still reading the brochure when Mrs. Okuwaka got home; her mother worked as a medical examiner. The last page featured a letter (most likely a form letter) signed by the Étoiles of Astraea Hill. There was a photograph of them — they both wore the Miator uniform, one of them had silver hair, the other had black hair. Tsubomi smirked; Spica's uniform looked so much better.

Usually Mr. and Mrs. Okuwaka took coffee together in the family room. This time Tsubomi joined them. Her mother looked confused.

"Since when do you drink coffee, Tsubomi?"

"Since I got accepted to Spica," the pinkette responded proudly.

"She wants to feel grown up," Mr. Okuwaka murmured to his wife. Then: "How is your coffee?"

Tsubomi scowled at the mug. "It's gross."

---

Because men weren't allowed on Astraea Hill's campus and Mrs. Okuwaka was busy at the lab, that left Grandma to take Tsubomi to register for classes.

"You went to boarding school, right, Grandma?" the pinkette inquired as they searched for the registration office. If the size of Astraea Hill's courtyard alone dazzled Tsubomi, the whole campus could make her faint.

"Hai. St. Catherine Academy in Saitima." Grandma sighed. "It was a fairly large school, though not like _this. _Tell you what, hun, you gotta be a serious walker to make it here."

"I can tell already." Tsubomi chuckled humorlessly, wincing at the pain burning in her arches.

"A school like this has its advantages, though," said Grandma. "At St. Catherine if you did something dumb the whole school found out about it like _that. _You'll fit in better here." She waved her brochure in front of her sweating face. "Damn it, where is that registration office?"

"I bet I could find it."

"I think we should ask somebody."

"But we could just as easily find it on our own."

Grandma didn't seem to hear her. She stopped a passing sister and got directions. Tsubomi frowned. Sure, it was easier to get directions, but she preferred trying something on her own before asking for help. That way made you more self-sufficient.

"So it's in the gymnasium," Grandma huffed, trudging along. "Like that makes any goddamn sense."

"Must be a lot of incoming first years."

"Must be…"

---

Both Grandma and Tsubomi were shocked by the two girls they found operating the sign-in table…Actually, Tsubomi was surprised by one of the girls, a jovial girl — much older than the pinkette — with long black hair down her back and sharp brown eyes. The other girl, apparently the brunette's best friend, had curly blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Welcome," said the brunette, smiling slightly. Her voice was deep and smooth as velvet. "What's your first name?"

"Okuwaka," Tsubomi responded softly.

The brunette consulted a binder laid out in front of her, murmuring, "'O'…'O'…'O'…" to herself. The pinkette noticed her shirt; it was black and said _Are you down with Saintly Chorus? _on it.

"Ah! Here we go!" The brunette looked right at Tsubomi, who froze awkwardly. "Your counselor's Keitase-san. Her table's on the farthest end, right by the locker room."

"You have it all figured out," Grandma chuckled conversationally.

"It just so happens we have the same counselor." The brunette was smiling at Tsubomi now. Tsubomi sensed that this elder girl had noticed her inexplicable freezing and was trying not to laugh. The pinkette tried to glare, but this seemed to amuse the brunette more; she disguised her laughing in a cough. "Erhuhuhum! Excuse me. Allergies, you know…Anyways, they assign counselors by alphabetical order. Keitase-san handles names M through O. My first name's Nanto."

"Amazing they have students running this thing," said Grandma.

For the first time Tsubomi took her eyes off this Nanto girl and glanced around. Indeed every station of registration seemed to be orchestrated by a student or two.

"It's part of being in the Key Club," Nanto nodded. "Key Club members are dedicated to community service, within and without school grounds. We operate several events, including the blood drive, drama festival, and — obviously — registration."

"You must be a very good student to participate."

The blonde girl coughed loudly.

"They have a certain standard, yes," Nanto said, rather sheepishly.

The blonde girl coughed even more loudly. Nanto glared at her.

"Okay, I just barely made the GPA requirement, _Hikari,_" she retorted lightly, "but so did you."

"You don't see _me _ditching choir," the blonde, named Hikari, said quietly, giggling into her notebook.

Tsubomi frowned. Was Nanto really so reckless as to ditch classes?

"Well, we should be getting to the counselor, then," Grandma sighed, pulling Tsubomi along. "Have a nice day."

Nanto snorted. "Riiight…You guys have a good day, too." She looked at Tsubomi again, that same laughing flash in her brown eyes.

---

"Hello, there. I'm Keitase-san," a middle-aged woman with a laptop smiled.

"Oku — gyuhh, Okuwaka Tsubomi," the pinkette responded, her tongue tripping over her name. She and Grandma bowed, then seated themselves before the counselor. Keitase-san made small talk whilst her fingers trickled lightly over the keyboard — entering Tsubomi's basic information: date of birth, home address, and all that.

"Alrighty, now to create your schedule," Keitase-san said at last. She leaned her elbows on the table, her aged skin puddling on the oak. "As a first year, you don't have many options for electives, because you have to fulfill your core credits primarily. By default, you'll be enrolled in Literature 101 and Effective Writing, both of which are semester-long courses." She looked at Tsubomi. "Which would you like to take first semester?"

"Erm...what?" The pinkette's eyes had drifted toward the brunette at the sign-in table on their own accord. "Umm...Literature 101...?"

Keitase-san nodded and typed something. Then she referenced another window and said, "Your teacher recommended you for Modern World History, Geometry, and Honors Biology."

"Tsubomi's very good at math and science," Grandma nodded.

"Would you like to take those courses?"

"Hai," Tsubomi responded absently.

Keitase-san typed some more. Then: "Foreign language — French I...Okay," she sighed, leaning back. "You have one period open for an elective. What would you like to take?"

Tsubomi had to tear her gaze from Nanto, who was grinning and joking with Hikari. "Uhh...What're my options?"

"Well..." The counselor considered. "Do you like to draw? There's several open seats in the Drawing Media class."

"Mmm..." The pinkette wondered if Nanto could draw. What electives was the reckless brunette who ditched classes involved in? There was something glaringly obvious that Tsubomi was missing... "Nah. I can't draw."

"What about music? There's band, music technology..."

"Tsubomi sings in church choir," Grandma supplied.

"Would you like to be in Saintly Chorus?" Keitase-san asked the pinkette.

_Are you down with Saintly Chorus? _For the first time Tsubomi noticed the back of Nanto's shirt. It said: _Alto I. _Tsubomi smiled; she also sang alto.

"Yes." She was down with Saintly Chorus.

The counselor printed Tsubomi's schedule, the pinkette got photos taken for her ID and the yearbook, Grandma submitted Mr. Okuwaka's check to cover fees, and they were done. As they passed the sign-in table on their way out the blonde, Hikari, inquired, "Which elective did you sign up for?"

"Uh!" Tsubomi stopped so abruptly she nearly tripped. Nanto smirked. Righting herself, the pinkette's fingers fumbled clumsily with her schedule. All of a sudden she couldn't remember what elective she was taking.

"Cuh-cuh-choir," she stuttered. Nanto's grin broadened.

"Oh! Just like us," Hikari smiled. Tsubomi noticed her shirt — it was white and depicted a four-beat rest on a staff with a fermata over the rest. Under the staff it said: _Shut Up. _"You'll like Takahashi-sensei. Just don't be late to class — that really gets under her skin."

"T-Takahashi?"

"The choir director." The way Nanto said that was suggestive of Tsubomi being a retard. She blushed profusely, forgetting to glare.

"Well, we'll see you in choir class, then," Hikari sighed happily. "By the way, I'm Konohana Hikari and this is Nanto Yaya."

"Charmed," Yaya said dully, focusing her brown eyes on a knot in the table wood.

"I'm, uh, Okuwaka Tsubomi." _Yaya _— _what an unusual name, _she thought, _but it's pretty nice. _She was only hoping to get one last shot of Yaya's hypnotic glance, and her hopes weren't in vain. Yaya looked at Tsubomi one last time as she left, causing the poor girl to trip and fall flat on her face.

"Oi, oi, you're so clumsy today," Grandma observed, helping her up.

---

The next couple weeks were unusually stressful, and not necessarily stressful in a bad way. First Tsubomi got her room assignment via mail. Her disappointment at having to live in a single dorm was quickly brushed aside in favor of anticipation for school. Then she was mailed her uniform: a white skirt, blue polo, brown bowtie, and a beige sweater with the Spica coat of arms on the breast. She was so excited to have the proud uniform right there that she wore it around the house until Mr. Okuwaka put the kibosh on that. She couldn't wait to attend Spica as a full-time student...though she knew it was no longer because of school spirit anymore so much as something else...

The only negative source of stress these days was George, who had grown unusually sullen.

"So I said, 'If Elvis were actually alive he would've certainly died during the autopsy,'" Tsubomi giggled as the two of them threw skipping stones out on a lake at a park. When George didn't laugh, she turned to see him staring at his stone. "Hey, guy...? What's wrong?"

He looked up at her, tears of anger glittering in his blue eyes. "You're abandoning me," he choked.

The pinkette blinked, then set down her stone. "Abandoning...?"

He nodded, sheepishly wiping away his tears with his fists. "You're going away to _Spica_, and leaving me here." He said 'Spica' in a cruel tone of voice which put Tsubomi on her defensive.

"George-kun, you knew since I took the exams in December that I'd be going away."

George stared sadly out at the lake, unable to meet his best friend's gaze. "I...I..." His cheeks reddened. "I was sort of hoping...you'd fail the exams," he admitted guiltily. "Then you'd stay here and we'd go to middle school together." He looked at Tsubomi and his tears rolled unchecked down his cheeks. "I don't know how I'm gonna make it through without you."

"I'll miss you, too," Tsubomi sighed. She realized that with all her excitement for Spica she'd failed to notice how sad it was making George. Now she felt like a real jerk. She pulled out her handkerchief (it's ladylike to carry one, after all) and mopped away his tears. "But we can stay in contact. Write letters...Do you have access to the Internet? My parents are giving me a laptop with wireless connection to take with me to Astraea Hill. We could email each other. And I can visit you during the holidays."

This seemed to brighten his mood a little. "I'd like that," he nodded.

"Good." She smiled, withdrawing her handkerchief once she saw George had stopped crying.

He looked down shyly, and she noticed him making his hand into a fist. She could understand him being frustrated.

"Tsubomi-chan," he blurted loudly, almost urgently.

"Yeah?"

"I...kind of want to tell you something."

"Okay," she nodded, leaning forward. He seemed surprised by this gesture, then smiled, blushing a little.

"I, uh, I...I like you, Tsubomi. A lot," he added more confidently. "I just wanted to tell you before you go...And I wanted to do this..."

Tsubomi gave a startled squeak as George kissed her on the cheek. She froze as he hesitated a bit before withdrawing hastily. His face was as red as a tomato. He seemed to want to say something. Instead he turned tail and ran away, hiding his face in his hands.

* * *

Yep, that's chapter one (my mind's not all here today).

If you liked it leave a review ^^

NEXT CHAPTER: Tsubomi's singing isn't quite up to par with the other choir members. So she gets some private lessons from Yaya-senpai lol.


	2. Chapter Two: Private Lessons

Wow, did this take me a long time to write. I actually had to cut it a bit short because I was concerned about the length.

Thank you to all those of you who reviewed. I agree, there aren't enough YayaxTsubomi fics in the archive...I don't think I could even write a YayaxHikari fic...How would that work...? I feel challenged now, like I should attempt writing one just for the hell of it...

Music terminology!

**Sfortzando: **This is where you attack the head of a note with a forte (loud) dynamic, then swiftly pull back the dynamic to piano (soft) or even pianissimo (very soft). This occurs in long notes, and as you carry the long note through you're supposed to gradually raise the dynamic back up to forte (or louder, if it's indicated).

**Vibrato: **This is that slightly trilling sort of sound you'll hear in instruments and singing. If you're a singer, and you'd like to learn how to vibrato, sing a note and pulse your stomach muscles (essentially your diaphragm) in time with the music.

**Sectionals: **A bit of time out of a rehearsal in which sections of an ensemble rehearse individually.

lol you are going to know so much about music by the time this story's finished.

* * *

**COMING TO TERMS**

**Chapter Two**

**Private Lessons**

Grandma was right. You did have to be a serious walker to make it at Astraea Hill. Tsubomi went to four different buildings on her first day of school: Clayton Hall, the Language Arts/Social Sciences building; Lincoln Hall, the Math/Science building; Sherman Hall, the Foreign Language building; and the cathedral, where the Saintly Chorus rehearsed. Tsubomi was late to three of her classes, including choir. She grimaced, remembering Hikari's warning about Takahashi-sensei's pet peeve.

Tsubomi was only about a minute late to choir, but class had already started when she burst into the cathedral hall. The choir members turned en masse, and Takahashi-sensei scowled over her shoulder.

"Well, take a seat then," she said frostily. "Try not to be late again."

"H-hai," Tsubomi stuttered, bowing.

The class was as quiet as mice as the pinkette made her way up the aisle to seat herself among the choir. She wished fervently that Takahashi-sensei would just resume whatever she was doing. Rather, the choir director joined the Saintly Chorus in staring at Tsubomi as she searched for a place to sit.

"First year," she heard some students whisper. There was a haughty finality to those two words — as if Tsubomi should be pardoned because she was a stupid, bumbling first year. The pinkette puffed herself up and glared daggers at some of the upperclassmen. She suppressed a smirk of triumph as some of them shrank back.

Going up the rows of pews, Tsubomi felt someone grab the hem of her skirt and gently pull backward. She turned around to find herself facing Konohana Hikari. The blonde Spican silently gestured at an empty seat next to her. And there Tsubomi sat.

"Okay," Takahashi-sensei sighed. "Now, if you'll turn to page thirty-one of your Music Department handbook, it'll explain about Saintly Chorus uniforms…"

Tsubomi had started to raise her hand to request a handbook when Hikari slid hers closer to the kouhai. Tsubomi nodded thanks. She was coming to appreciate Hikari more and more.

"Yaya-chan's not here," the blonde whispered.

Tsubomi had no idea why Hikari had said that, but it upset her nonetheless.

"Oi! Why?" She craned her neck, scanning the pews.

Hikari smiled. "She doesn't like to come to class on the first day. She says it's a waste of time."

Hot anger flared in Tsubomi's head, making her eyes hurt. Though she herself saw the first day as a waste of time as well — all you do is go over class syllabi, and every teacher has the same set of rules and expectations — it frustrated her that Yaya couldn't even come to choir. An elective!

"Stupid," she ground out.

"Tsubomi-chan's mad that Yaya-chan isn't here?" Hikari inquired softly.

"Yeah. Has she no discipline or responsibility at all?"

"You better get used to this," the older girl sighed.

Takahashi-sensei cleared her throat loudly, glancing meaningfully at the two of them. "Ladies…? Hi! Welcome to choir! Continuing on…

"Today you will be fitted for your robe. There'll be music staff here to record the condition of your robe…so if at the _end _of the year there is, say…a _tear_…in your _robe_…" With each pause, the choir director made odd little sweeping gestures. "…you can't say, 'Oh, I _got _it this way.' No, you didn't. We wouldn't let you get a robe with a tear in it. It's on _you._"

A girl raised her hand. "What if you haven't grown since last year?"

"You still have to get fitted." There were a few groans. Takahashi-sensei shrugged. "Tatsumoto-sensei is the department chair. She made these rules, not me. You are going to get fitted by section — your section master will monitor the proceedings. Altos, you go first."

Tsubomi immediately popped up. She blinked in confusion when no one else did. There were some disconcerted murmurs among the Saintly Chorus, but no one raised her voice loud enough to be heard. The pinkette caught Hikari gnawing her lip pensively.

"What's up, altos?" Takahashi-sensei asked. Tsubomi was wondering the same thing.

"Um…Our section master isn't here," a girl piped up cautiously.

Tsubomi raised an eyebrow. Something was adding up, but she wasn't getting it.

The choir director rolled her eyes upward, and turned away from the choir. It was evident by her movements that she was ranting to herself. At one point she appeared poised to throw down her handbook and stomp it into the floor. But instead she shakily lowered her arm, and turned back to face the choir.

"Sorry, ladies. I lost my cool there for a moment." She sighed. "Katayanagi-san, will you fill in Nanto-san's position for today?"

"Of course, sensei." A tall girl with brown hair jumped up, bowing. She looked only too happy to be section master for a day.

Tsubomi, who was still standing, looked sharply at Hikari. "'Section master'?"

Hikari looked up, the blue in her eyes subdued to teal in the dim light. "Hai. Yaya-chan's the alto section master."

The pinkette's brow furrowed as she followed the alto section into a lounge room in the back. It didn't make any sense. Yaya ditched choir. Yaya ditched most — probably all — of her classes. And she was choir leadership. What made a person like that a leader? Was the Yaya she and Hikari knew and the Yaya Takahashi-sensei knew one and the same?

_Who is Nanto Yaya really?_

The choir uniform was a flowy powder blue robe with a royal blue collar, a powder blue cap, and a cross. After the altos got their uniforms the sopranos went to get fitted.

"_Their _section master is here," an alto noted bitterly. "Damn it! Will altos _ever _be Section of the Year?"

Hikari was in the soprano section, so that left Tsubomi on her own in the cathedral hall. While she waited for the sopranos to finish fitting she flipped through her other class syllabi. She made note of some of the extra materials she'd need for some classes — a binder for French, an extra notebook for Lit., and so on. When the sopranos returned Takahashi-sensei continued speaking.

"This year I'm establishing a new routine that I think will…um, _better _the Saintly Chorus. I call it Sectional Monday. As the name suggests, every Monday sopranos and altos will take turns rehearsing in their sectionals."

"Today's Monday," a girl pointed out.

"It is. We won't seriously start until next week." The choir director came up the aisle. "Section masters _MUST _be present for this…" She halted by Hikari and whispered, "Konohana-san, I know you're Nanto-san's room mate. Please tell her that if she doesn't get her tail down here I _will _demote her from section master — I might even remove her from choir."

Hikari nodded.

"Her conduct as a section master is unacceptable," Takahashi-sensei continued. "She is not special. She is not better than you or I. You have to be here. I have to be here. So does she."

Hikari winced and nodded.

The choir director's face softened. "I'm not trying to be a jerk, nor am I mad at you."

"I understand," the blonde whispered. "Yaya-chan's a challenge."

"Challenge? Good grief, the girl's an all-out nuisance!"

"I'll talk to her…"

Takahashi-sensei returned to the front. "We're starting immediately tomorrow. You all have music in your folders." She sighed and looked upward; Tsubomi noticed she had a tendency to do that. "You, uh, have the rest of the class period to do what you want. See you tomorrow."

Hikari smiled at Tsubomi. "That's the beauty of choir: you frequently get free time."

"Yaya-senpai ditches choir multiple times?" the pinkette blurted.

Hikari blinked at the harsh tone in Tsubomi's voice. "Hai," she answered, as if it were obvious.

"Well, er…_why?_"

The blonde shrugged. "I guess…sometimes she doesn't feel like it."

"Doesn't feel like it!" Tsubomi spat. "It's an elective! She chose to be here!"

Hikari uneasily twirled an amber curl between her fingers. "From what I've heard she doesn't ditch as much as she used to…"

"Well, isn't that nice," the pinkette said sarcastically. "It would be better if she didn't ditch at all!"

After that Tsubomi fell into a moody silence. She half-listened as Hikari talked about her transfer to Spica as a second year. She was frustrated and enraged — and truthfully, she was angry at herself. She already had homework in French class, and here she was worrying about another girl's status in the Saintly Chorus. What did it matter to her if Yaya was demoted from section master? Who cared if she was removed from the choir? Tsubomi felt very, very stupid. And she hated Yaya for making her feel this way.

---

Tsubomi immediately flopped down on her bed for a nap after classes. She loved her solitary single dorm. But as she checked her cell phone for the time (something she impulsively did before sleeping), she noticed she had gotten a text message at 8:02 in the morning. She had been in Lit., her first period class, then. The text was from George, and read: _off 2 school now. u have my blue converse shoes?_

She sat up and texted a reply. _no. we dont even wear the same shoe size nemore. _As she snapped her phone shut she noticed a telltale white rubber shoe toe peeping out from under her bed. She reached downward and swept the covers aside, noting with dismay the azure hue of the canvas. She opened her phone again.

_ahem. might possibly have shoe._

Who knew how the hell that thing wound up in her duffel bag? Probably somewhere in George's room was some old headband of hers…

Speaking of, that thing was damn uncomfortable to wear in bed. Tsubomi roughly pulled hers out, letting her pink hair fall forward in her face.

Laying back, she thought about George. About how he had kissed her. So George liked Tsubomi. A lot, he'd said. The pinkette didn't know how she felt about him; in terms of love, it had always been her tendency to straddle the fence.

They had been childhood friends, her and George. And he was a better friend than anyone could hope to have. Ever curious and expansive, George loved to explore the forest at the old park. He and Tsubomi combed through it together, mapping out regions and starting secret clubs (which only consisted of the two of them). Less robust and energetic, Tsubomi frequently got tired. And George would slow down for her, circle back and wait patiently for her dizzy spells to pass. He was kind, sweet even. But he was…George. Could Tsubomi really love her best friend?

Somewhere in that thought, Tsubomi found herself drifting off to sleep.

She was woken up an hour later by her cell phone ringing; Pachelbel's _Canon _could sound really aggressive blaring over crappy cell phone speakers. Without sitting up or opening her eyes, Tsubomi flipped open her phone.

"Hello?" she whispered. She cleared her throat, then said, louder: "Moshimoshi?"

It was George. "Tsubomi-chan? Did I wake you up? It's three forty-five!"

She could practically hear him grinning over the phone. She glared at hers.

"No. I've totally…been awake for several hours. _Several_."

"Yeah, right," he giggled. "I tried texting you earlier…around two fifty-ish? You never got back to me. Scandal!"

Tsubomi briefly pulled her phone away from her ear to look at the screen. He _had _texted her at 2:48.

"Okay, I was napping," she admitted grumpily. "It was a long day. Hey," she said brightly, sitting up. "How was _your _first day? How's Olaf Middle School?"

"Big and scary." His tone was no longer cheerful. "There's so many people. And everybody seems so…useless," he finished dully.

"How so?"

"Okay, there's this guy Chase-san, and I kid you not, Tsubomi-chan — _everyone _is in love with him. Girls love him. Guys love him. And he's such a…He's such a dick! How can everybody be so enamored by such a jerk fillet?"

"'Jerk fillet'?" Tsubomi echoed, laughing.

George managed a little laugh as well. "The finest cut of the jerk-wad — that's Chase."

"Maybe there's more to him than what you see," Tsubomi mused. She couldn't help comparing this Chase to Yaya. Someone who acted like a "jerk fillet," yet managed to capture the hearts of the entire student body (or choir in Yaya's case). Maybe there _was _more to Yaya than what Tsubomi saw…which actually wasn't much.

"I miss you," George sighed. "I haven't talked to anybody today. You're the first."

"George-kun…" Tsubomi started, but was interrupted by a coughing fit from her…her _what? _Friend?...Boyfriend…? "You okay?"

"Oh, yeah," George wheezed shakily, apparently suppressing his coughs. "Just my asthma, probably…Erm, sumimasen…" She heard his voice recede from the speaker. Then, in the distance, more coughing. George had been diagnosed with moderate asthma when he was nine. So Tsubomi was used to his coughing. But this time his coughing sounded painful, stressed…

"Gah, gomenasai," he sighed, returning to the phone. "Maybe I'm gettin' sick…You were saying?"

"What about all our old friends?" the pinkette inquired. "Satoshi? Sousuke? Hitomi? You haven't spoken to them?"

"They're in honors."

"Ah." Honors students tended to be socially exclusive: they only made friends with other honors students.

"How's Astraea Hill?"

"Um, great. Weird. I like it. I was late to half my classes," she supplied, letting him know her day wasn't so hot either. "And my choir teacher chewed me out. She's kinda tough."

"You're in choir?"

"Yeah," she challenged.

"I, uh, gotta go," he said abruptly.

Tsubomi blinked in shock. She'd been expecting some wiseass remark about choir…

"George-kun, matte —"

But he'd already hung up.

Dazed, the pinkette closed her phone, the resulting _snap! _failing to reach her ears. She laid back down, figuring maybe she'd just go back to sleep. But her heart was beating too fast.

George sure had changed. And only in the course of about three days. He used to be so happy-go-lucky. Always there with a smile, a joke, in sharp contrast to Tsubomi's modest temperament. Always there to help. The two of them had never hung up on each other. The roseate-haired Spican figured maybe there was a reason for his hanging up on her. She closed her topaz eyes, trying to find that reason.

Worry gnawed at her stomach. There was also some…_protective _feeling for George there as well. Who were those middle schoolers to pick on him? Seeing as she'd known him since they were six, she thought she should be first in line to make fun of him. It infuriated her to no end to hear about these creeps sinking their claws into her George.

Her eyes snapped open. _I did not just refer to him as _'my George-kun'_...?_

Her cell phone then made a beeping sound; she got a text. She immediately opened her phone to read a message from George. Her George.

_sry. my moms taking me 2 the dr._

She texted a reply. _4 wot? n dont u need an appointment?_

Within the minute he'd responded. _shes worried about my coughing. n were going 2 the free clinic. dont need an appointment._

She nodded. Very well. Mrs. Suzuki had always been fussy, if not overexacting.

Tsubomi looked at the clock. It was just about time to head down to the dining hall for dinner. Still, she felt tempted to text one last thing to George. Something of importance.

_I hope u feel better soon. i care about you, george._

She'd almost texted _I like you_, but decided against it. Maybe it was too early for her to verbalize her feelings.

---

The next day Yaya showed up to choir. Tsubomi could feel her mood lightening at the mere sight of the brunette. This euphoria was temporary, however, and was squashed when Yaya's true colors became clear.

Hikari shook her head. "You do not want to know what lengths I went to to get her to come here," she told Tsubomi.

"Oh, tell her," Yaya grinned, winking at the blonde. "Or perhaps I will. Should I tell her how Hikari-chan kissed me in exchange for my coming here? Or how Hikari-chan copped a feel for —"

"Yaya-chan lies!" Hikari gasped, her turquoise eyes tripling in size.

"Not by much," the brunette responded smartly. "Either way, I only came here because I find you _attractive_."

"I guess I can live with that," Hikari sighed, "if it means Takahashi-sensei won't scold me in your absence."

"Yeah, jerk!" Tsubomi chimed angrily. This whole exchange was making her a bit ill. "What right do you have to tease Hikari-senpai after all she's put up with for you?"

Yaya glared. What an obnoxious little kid. "I have more right to that than you have to be part of this conversation, pipsqueak. Bug off."

Tsubomi flinched. The sharpness of Yaya's gaze practically quadrupled when she glared. Not to be outdone by someone who just thought she was so high and mighty, the pinkette bounced back with her fiercest scowl.

"You can't call me 'pipsqueak' when you have the intelligence of a termite, you _dipshit!_" she spat.

Now Yaya shrank back a little. "How old are you, ten? Who taught you to be so vicious?"

"I'm twelve."

"Big difference," Yaya snorted.

"Actually, it is. When I was ten I…didn't have a TV in my room," she finished lamely.

"Oh, aren't you Queen Awesome now, huh?" Yaya rolled her brown eyes. "What do you watch anyway? The Hannah Montana Labor Day marathon? Or maybe —" She cut herself short. A terrifying grin played on her thin, scornful lips and she narrowed her eyes. "Ahh, I get it. You're getting your panties in a bind over my Hikari-chan! That's what this is all about, right?"

_**My **__Hikari-chan. _Tsubomi dropped her hands to her sides. For a vulnerable moment, her face softened, the anger lines in her forehead smoothing. That pause was all Yaya needed.

"I knew it!" she laughed. "_That _was why you were so awkward on registration day! You were bewildered by Hikari!"

"I never…" _…even noticed Hikari-senpai, _the pinkette wanted to finish, but her words caught in her throat.

"You weren't the only one," Yaya chuckled, getting her music folder, for rehearsal was about to start. "Hikari-chan just had all those first year babies drooling." She smirked at her best friend, who was sporting an excoriating beamer. "You little charmer, you!"

Hikari started to say something, but Tsubomi interrupted her.

"Shut up, you idiot! Look at you. You've just managed to bring down both Hikari-senpai and myself in one sentence!"

"Yes, and I'm _exhausted!_" Yaya retorted sarcastically. "I could sure use a little _help _next time!"

Rehearsal started then. While Tsubomi's other teachers were still focused on syllabi and getting-to-know-you activities, Takahashi-sensei was diving right into the choir curriculum. There would be a spring performance toward the end of May, as well as a small autumn performance in October, but the concert everybody at Astraea Hill looked forward to the most was the Christmas Concert in December. This event included performances by the Saintly Chorus and the Symphonic Band. The grand finale was a song performed by both the choir and the orchestra together. For this, the choir director and orchestra master had chosen a suite from G.F. Händel's _Messiah._

Still peeved from their argument, Tsubomi fixed Yaya with a black stare. The pinkette's glare could've made birds fall dead from trees, but the brunette seemed unaffected by it. It was so unfair. She was so mean. Couldn't Yaya see that Tsubomi was trying to like her? Trying to be friends with her? Why the hell did Yaya have to make it so hard for her? What did Takahashi-sensei and everybody see in her anyway?

The organist was playing the intro to "He Shall Feed His Flock," the beginning of which featured an alto solo. Yaya, the section master, opened her heart then and sang.

And in doing so, she answered that last question of Tsubomi's.

It was almost like an angel's voice. Yaya's voice swept effortlessly through all the movements and dynamics of the solo. She sfortzandoed the long notes, carrying them on a lovely 6/4 eighth-note vibrato. The acoustics of the cathedral hall lent Yaya's voice a certain depth, a cavernousness, and it rang and reverberated beautifully like warm, round bell tones. It wasn't just beautiful. It was _perfect. _The perfection made Tsubomi's scalp tingle.

After "He Shall Feed His Flock" the Saintly Chorus moved on to sight-read the "Hallelujah Chorus." Tsubomi winced. After hearing Yaya's flawless voice in "He Shall Feed His Flock," the pinkette was hardly ready to expose her own voice in the "Hallelujah Chorus." Still, the score was right there in front of her. This was what she'd signed up to do.

_I'm a member of the St. Dominic church choir, damn it, _she thought, glowering at her music. _I can do this._

"_Hallelujah! Hallelujah!_"

As she sang the refrain, she noticed some sideways glances from Yaya. The brunette appeared to be studying her while she sang. Tsubomi stood taller and sang louder. Having the Mariah Carey of the Saintly Chorus considering Tsubomi as a singer boosted her self-esteem hugely. The pinkette even felt a little arrogant. _My singing can be the best. My singing IS the best. Five points for the first year baby._

Rehearsal ended abruptly when a soprano pointed out to Takahashi-sensei that they were running out of time. Choir members rushed to the back room to store their leather-bound folders. Yaya led the charge. She was the most eager to wrap up choir rehearsal. Tsubomi was more in the back with more passive members like Hikari. She thought Yaya had left by the time she got to putting away her folder, and was surprised when the brunette suddenly approached her.

Tsubomi's heart rate leaped and bounded in her chest, setting a warm flush to her cheeks. She feigned cold indifference. She glared at an old, faded stain in the carpet.

"What do you want, Yaya-senpai?"

"Hikari-chan and I were talking…" She heard Yaya clear her throat. "Would you be interested in some private lessons?"

Now Tsubomi turned her glare full-force on the older girl. "I don't need private lessons."

And Yaya glared right back, her russet eyes burning vehemently. "Actually, you do," she said boldly. "During 'Hallelujah' you stuck out like a sore thumb. I noticed it, Hikari noticed it. The whole Saintly Chorus probably noticed, and Takahashi-sensei too."

"If Takahashi-sensei noticed how 'bad' my singing was, why didn't she call me on it?" Tsubomi's mouth puckered into a petulant smirk.

Yaya stared at her pityingly. "Because you're a freshie and it's your first day singing in the Saintly Chorus. Trust me, Takahashi-sensei will go over _The Messiah _and clean people's mistakes."

Tsubomi's head was ready to explode. She was fairly certain that Yaya was lying, that nobody really thought her singing sucked. If she was telling the truth, where was Hikari to verify this? This was just Yaya's stupid subtle way of insulting the first year.

"I need to get back to my room, I'm not feeling well," Tsubomi said in a tight voice. She pushed past Yaya into the cathedral hall.

Hikari sat in the front pew, playing absently with her cap. She looked up in shock when the kouhai came storming in.

"Oh! Tsubomi-chan!" Smiling gently, the blonde rose. "Did you accept Yaya-chan's offer?"

"What offer?" Tsubomi growling, brushing by Hikari.

"For private lessons." Hikari's soft voice somehow found Tsubomi's rage-deafened ears. She halted.

"I don't need private lessons," she insisted without turning around. "I sing just fine!"

Hikari didn't respond. Taking this as some sort of confirmation, the pinkette continued towards the exit.

"Matte." The blonde's voice was uneasy. "Your singing…isn't bad, but it…could…use some improvement…Your pitch is slightly off…and the tone's kinda…thin and shrill."

_So Hikari-senpai DID notice. _Tsubomi could feel her ears burning. How stupid. She'd thought she was singing exquisitely, but she was actually singing rather egregiously. And so loud, too! Loud like she could actually sing well. Very, very stupid.

"Shimatte," she ground out.

"Sorry," Hikari grimaced. "But Saintly Chorus participates in all sorts of events. School pep rallies, for example. You don't want to sing 'Spica Loyalty' badly, do you?"

Now Tsubomi flinched. To wreck Spica's fight song with her terrible singing would be a travesty. But she wouldn't give in so easily.

"I can't afford private lessons."

"They're free."

Wow. Free.

Tsubomi snorted. "Impossible. Who offers free singing lessons?"

"Me, that's who," responded that smooth, velvet voice. The pinkette spun around. Yaya was emerging from the dark shadows of the back room into the cathedral hall. "You and me, one-on-one, once a week after rehearsal."

_You and me. _Tsubomi found herself enjoying the sound of that more than she should have. She snapped swiftly out of her reverie and threw her hands up.

"I couldn't ask that of you, Yaya-senpai."

The brunette grinned lopsidedly. "The good thing is you didn't. I'm insisting. As section master, it's my duty to make my section as good as they can possibly be."

_Okay, but really, private lessons?? _Tsubomi wanted to respond. But she remained quiet, mashing her lips together pensively. Yaya no longer looked livid or obstinate. Rather, her expression was humorous and playful. There was something almost…concupiscible — almost lustful — about how Yaya looked at her.

"Alright, then," Tsubomi blurted instinctively. Backtracking, she added, "I would hate for 'Loyalty' to sound bad…So, um, yeah…" She had never had somebody look at her like this before. "I've…decided to accept your offer."

"You didn't have a choice. I would've made you either way." Yaya's laughter echoed in the cathedral hall. Even her laughing sounded like singing. "We'll start tomorrow since you're not feeling well today." She tilted her head, smiling impishly. "You may actually be sick. Your face is red and you're shaking like a leaf. I thought you were lying earlier, but, eh, go figure."

She walked past Tsubomi, beckoning Hikari to join her. As the two third years passed, Tsubomi caught a wiff of a cool, sweet aroma — a very natural, outdoorsy smell. That scent could've belonged to either Yaya or Hikari, but Tsubomi liked to think that it pertained to Yaya.

* * *

Ergh, I thought this chapter was okay...but not great...

NEXT CHAPTER: Tsubomi's world comes apart when she receives some very bad news. Our favorite Spica trio plays Truth or Dare. What happens when you get Yaya to play that game? Nothing good. On the next chapter_ That's the Way the World Crumbles. _


	3. Chapter Three: Tsubomi Has a Nosebleed

Hello!

Um...Well...It's not exactly finished, but here's chapter three of Coming To Terms.

Yes, I do like South of Nowhere lol. I'm so happy that it's back on the On Demand archives, and I'm watching it all over again. It did give me a lot of inspiration for this story.

Thanks for your reviews! Enjoy! Couldn't think of a better title for this chapter...

* * *

**COMING TO TERMS**

**Chapter Three**

**In Which Tsubomi Has a Nosebleed**

"Do any of you know Azuma Michiko?" Hiroya asked.

Everyone at the lunch table was silent. Tsubomi sipped sparkling lemonade through a straw.

Hiroya's eyes popped open wide. "None of you? Am I the only one here who was blessed enough to see Michiko-oneesama's dazzling beauty?"

Tsubomi tried not to roll her eyes. Hiroya, a girl from her French class, was a bit of a drama queen.

Hiroya clasped her hands together and pressed them to her cheek, her garnet-colored eyes shining. "She's this girl in my Algebra class, and she is beeeeeeeeeyootiful! Absolutely stunning!"

Hiroya was so mutable that practically everything stunned her.

"What year is she?" asked Aiko.

"Second."

"What is a second year doing in a first year math class?" Katsuki inquired, making her wise eyebrows. "Did she flunk?"

"No." Hiroya puffed up indignantly, clearly offended. "She didn't bother to take math last year. She took Health and Consumer Ed. instead." She closed her eyes and sighed blissfully, her cheeks pink. "Isn't that wonderful, just getting those graduation requirements out of the way immediately? She's so amazing…"

"I'll tell you who's amazing," Aiko smiled. "Amane-sama!"

"She is!!!" Hiroya squealed, pounding the table excitedly. Katsuki and Tsubomi flinched. "Gomen ne," the drama queen giggled.

"Okay, raise your hand," Aiko ordered, "if you go down to the stables to watch her ride her horse." She, of course, raised hers.

Katsuki guiltily raised her hand.

Hiroya shamelessly threw both of hers up high, grinning broadly.

Everybody looked at Tsubomi oddly when she didn't raise her hand.

Hiroya dramatically clapped a hand on the pinkette's shoulder, her jaw slack. "Tell me you've never seen Amane-sama and I'll die!"

Tsubomi smiled sheepishly. "Somebody prepare a hearse, then."

Katsuki chuckled at her joke.

Hiroya waved her hands frantically. "This just won't do, Tsubomi-chan!" Now she was leaning forward, jabbing a finger in the pinkette's chest. "I'm formally ordering you to the stables to watch Amane-sama ride after lunch!"

"I…have choir rehearsal."

Hiroya frowned. "Oh, you're such a stick in the mud, Tsubomi. Couldn't you just ditch?"

The pinkette bristled. "No, I will _not _ditch choir!"

"Speaking of choir…and ditching…" Katsuki was blushing. "Anybody here know Nanto Yaya?"

"I do," Tsubomi supplied.

"Finally you know _somebody_," Hiroya muttered.

Aiko giggled. "Does my Katsuki-chan admire Yaya-oneesama?"

"Ehh, Aiko-chan!" Katsuki groaned. "I'm not your glomptoy…and yes, I do."

Hiroya sat up. "Is she the tall-ish girl with long black hair with the bangs in a blunt style?"

Katsuki smiled. "The very one. She's in the Saintly Chorus — the pride of the choir, so I've heard. Ever hear her sing? It's something…enchanting," she sighed.

Tsubomi also sighed. It had been a month into the school year. Seven days of rehearsing with the Saintly Chorus. Seven days of hearing Yaya's solos in "He Shall Feed His Flock" and "What Child Is This?" The pinkette had been trying to match an adjective to the senpai's singing. "Enchanting" seemed to fit perfectly.

"Katsuki-chan's not in the Saintly Chorus," Aiko pointed out. "Where did she hear Yaya-oneesama singing?"

"I ran into her once in Lincoln Hall before first hour. She was singing to herself…Sounded like some hymn about a noble white lily…? Whatever it was, she sang it gorgeously."

"She's cute!" Hiroya exclaimed. "Isn't she super-kawaii, Ka-tsu-ki?" she sang teasingly.

Thoroughly embarrassed, Katsuki lowered her blushing face into her hands. "Hai…"

"Her body's not too bad, either," Hiroya continued. "She has, like, the best rack I've ever seen!"

"Yeah!" Aiko agreed. "She has those giant breasts that would overflow your grasp! Just once I'd like to touch them…"

Tsubomi turned her gaze to her tray. She blinked in surprise when she saw some red fluid dotting it as well as the table. _Ketchup? _she wondered. _I didn't put any condiments on my tray…_She swept up the fluid with a finger. Too thin and watery to be ketchup, but sticky and gross nonetheless. She absently brushed her nose with her sleeve, then gaped in horror at the cadmium stain that spread across it.

Hiroya was laughing hysterically, rocking back in her chair, her face red with mirth. Aiko froze in the middle of eating yogurt, her eyes as wide as dinner plates, and covered her gaping mouth with her hand. Katsuki's reaction was more subtle; she appeared to be suppressing a sheepish grin.

Pinching her nose, a severely embarrassed Tsubomi jumped up and bolted across the cafeteria to the bathroom. Once she got there she locked herself in a stall. She clumped together some toilet paper and held it to her nose.

Moments later, there were knocks on the stall.

"Tsubomi-chan, are you gonna be okay?" It was Hiroya, who sounded out of breath.

"Yeah. Ibe totally fide."

Aiko giggled. "Looks like my Katsuki-chan has a competitor. Who do you think Yaya-oneesama would choose? You or Tsubomi-chan?"

"It's not funny, Aiko-chan," Hiroya snapped. "Tsubomi-chan is really going through a very stressful time in her life right now!"

"Agtually, Ibe just fide. Doe stress here," the pinkette insisted. _Gah, I'm so congested. I know my singing's gonna suck next period, and then Yaya-senpai will..._

"Are you sure, honey?"

"Hai." Tsubomi couldn't stand it when girls called her "honey." It was so motherly and condescending. She hesitantly pulled the toilet paper away from her nose to find that it had stopped bleeding. She emerged from the stall, and the four girls went back to their table.

---

Hiroya and Aiko departed after lunch to watch Amane ride her horse. Katsuki accompanied Tsubomi to choir rehearsal. The lilac-haired girl had been under tremendous peer pressure to join Aiko and Hiroya in their ogling. Katsuki just dipped out, saying she had an exam to study for.

"You know, what happened at lunch," she sighed, "I'm not bothered by it. I don't see you as competition."

"I know," Tsubomi murmured, nodding. "I never really take anything Hiroya-san and Aiko-san say at face value."

"As well you shouldn't." Katsuki chuckled dryly. "Really, you know Yaya-sama better than I do. I just met her once. She gave me guidance through Lincoln Hall because I was lost. And I was...dazzled by her confidence. That's all. If you like her that's just fine."

Tsubomi stopped dead in her tracks. Katsuki halted a few steps ahead of her, turned, and gave her a quizzical look.

The pinkette was shaking her head. "You're mistaken. I don't like Yaya-senpai. I have a boyfriend."

Katsuki's brow puckered, and her mouth became a tense, hard line on her young face. She nodded with deliberate slowness. As they continued walking Tsubomi could've sworn she heard Katsuki mumble, "Your boyfriend's in for an unpleasant surprise."

---

Choir rehearsal was slow and frustrating that day. If fine arts teachers are renowned for being somewhat ADD, Takahashi-sensei was in form. Tsubomi had never seen a teacher go off on so many random tangents. A discussion of key changes and how to count 12/8 time somehow led to a story of how Takahashi-sensei and her buddies steamrolled a trumpet in college.

"The funny thing was," she giggled, "about two months later a graduate phoned the band director and said, 'I left my instrument behind and I'd like it back please. It's a silver Holton Bb trumpet.'"

Everybody roared with laughter. Even Tsubomi grinned at the hilarious turn of events.

Takahashi-sensei checked her watch (yes, she owns one, believe it or not). "Ahh, crap. We're almost out of time." She glared at the choir members, who had begun to close their folders. "Hey, wait! That doesn't mean we're done! 'What Child Is This?' from the top!"

Tsubomi joined the Saintly Chorus in a collective exasperated groan. It wasn't their fault the choir director was easily distracted. Takahashi-sensei's glare cut the groan short, for she had a scowl that could rival Yaya's and Tsubomi's put together.

The choir director introduced the tempo: an allegro moderato tempo in 3/4 time. "One two three, one two —"

After the organist played the deep, atmospheric intro the choir began singing.

_"What child is this who lay to rest  
On Mary's lap is sleeping?..."_

They were released five minutes late, much to the dismay of several choir members, especially Yaya. The raven-haired girl was exhausted from dealing with her rambunctious section. She would have loved nothing more than to lay back in her bed, her iPod set to Beethoven's _Allegretto, _and let the soft, yet provocative, violin melody and cello countermelody send her to sleep. She was already mentally checking back to her dorm when she met up with the brat.

"Do you want me to wait for you in the practice room?" Tsubomi asked.

Yaya stared blankly at the kouhai. Her mind, still in her bed, wasn't registering this. Beethoven's _Allegretto _was rolicking away. There were no practice rooms in that concerto.

"For, um, private lessons?" Tsubomi pressed.

The brunette stood straight once it all clicked. _Allegretto _abruptly stopped playing with a rude record scratch. _Oh, yeah. It's Wednesday. I have to stay an extra hour and teach an ungrateful kouhai how to sing. _With a sigh, Yaya placed a hand on Tsubomi's shoulder and guided her to the hallway in the far back. "Yeah. Let's go, then."

The two of them paced up the rows of blue double doors. Yaya chose a random door and tugged at the handle.

"Locked," she grunted.

"Want me to get a key?" Tsubomi offered.

"Nah. Not necessary." The brunette slipped her arm into her choir robe. The loose azure garment thrashed and swayed with movement. Yaya's hand finally re-emerged from the sleeve, her thumb and index finger clutching a bobby pin. Stooping a little bit, the senpai expertly jimmied the lock. Tsubomi could've laughed at how easy it was to break into a practice room if the idea of Nanto Yaya the World-Famous Choir Ditcher doing it wasn't so horrifying.

"You do this often?" Tsubomi exclaimed. "Yaya-senpai! You can't just break into a practice room!"

"Why not?" Yaya's expression was one of almost naive curiosity. "It's after school hours. Nobody else seems to be using them."

"What if you break the lock with that bobby pin?" the pinkette stressed. "That's school property. If you break it, the Headmistress will fine you hundreds of thousands of yen! Takahashi-sensei would probably kick you out of choir!"

The older girl chuckled. "Tsubomi-chan. If this lock breaks to a bobby pin, then it's the cheapest piece of shit ever. I think Astraea Hill would fund more into locks than that." She flipped on the lights, revealing a contained practice room which stunk of old saliva from various brass instruments. A pile of dissembled music stands clustered in the far corner, with one rusted but working stand propped before a single chair. An ancient piano graced the nearest wall, its woodwork carved by generations of devious first years.

"It's still morally wrong to break in here," Tsubomi sulked as Yaya seated herself before the piano.

"Ease up, squirt. It's a practice room, not a bank."

"Don't call me squirt, you idiot!"

Yaya snorted. "_I'm _the idiot here?"

The pinkette's eyes widened, and she folded her arms across her chest. "What are you trying to say?"

"How _is _Modern World History, by the way?"

Tsubomi stiffened. Truth be told, she was doing horribly in that class. It wasn't her fault. Kimura-sensei made that class so boring. It was bad enough that Tsubomi found history boring to start with — it just didn't provide the mental engagement math did. It was so dull and unengaging that the pinkette almost fell asleep once. She had never fallen asleep in class. _But how could Yaya-senpai know I'm struggling in that class?_

Her reaction was like some confirmation to the older girl, who smirked knowingly. "I _saw _that graded history report you brought in the other day. Teacher didn't care for it, eh?"

Tsubomi bristled. "Okay, listen! That idiot stickfigure with no soul — otherwise known as Kimura-sensei — assigned me to write a paper about a period in history I know nothing about! If I'd had a choice, I would've researched World War II! That's intellectually stimulating. Who wants to write a paper about 1900 - 1910? Nothing happened in that decade!!!" By the time she was done ranting she was out of breath and Yaya was laughing her ass off. Tsubomi took a deep breath and boomed, "It's not funny, retard! Shut up!"

"Ahahahahaha! Oh my God, you are such a twisted little dweeb!" Yaya leaned on the piano, shaking helplessly.

"I mean it! Stop laughing!" Tsubomi's face was tomato red. When the senpai didn't stop, she sighed, "It's just not my class, okay?"

"You are so funny," Yaya giggled, amiably chucking Tsubomi's chin. "What is your class?"

"Geometry."

"Ugh, what's wrong with you?"

"Ahah?! Yaya-senpai can't do math, can she?" Tsubomi leered at the older girl.

Yaya sighed. "I give. You're right...Stupid little math-nerd..."

The pinkette took a seat in the chair. The two of them were quiet for a moment. Though the look Yaya was giving Tsubomi was one of a deeply felt appreciation — for Tsubomi always managed to make her laugh — the younger girl insecurely suspected it was a condescending smirk. She shot Yaya her signature dagger-glare, and the older girl chuckled. Giving a resigned sigh, Tsubomi asked, "Why do you break into the practice rooms, anyways?"

"I used to do it a lot. Last year Hikari-chan and I would come here after almost every rehearsal. Good times."

_It's just me and Yaya-senpai in this cramped little room, _Tsubomi realized. That thought nervously kickstarted her sweat glands, and she self-consciously dug her hands into her armpits. The smell of Yaya was overpowering, confirming that the cool, sweet aroma was definitely hers.

The pinkette wondered why Yaya and Hikari would break into practice rooms. These rooms seemed ideal for...

_Good God. I can't even think of them doing that._

Yaya tapped the middle C key on the piano. She closed her eyes, either out of annoyance or fatigue or both. "This piano's out of tune. Probably hasn't been played since the Watergate scandal... Okay, kiddo," she said as brightly as she could manage in her tired state. "Let's warm up. Give me a concert F."

Tsubomi nodded, and took a deep breath...

Yaya stopped her before she could even sing. "You're doing it again," she frowned, shaking her head.

The kouhai let out her breath with a _whoosh! _"Doing what?" she grunted.

"We talked about this in your last lesson..." The raven-haired girl got behind her young charge, and gently laid her hands upon her small shoulders. "When you breathe, fill up your diaphragm so that you can effectively support your voice. Your shoulders shouldn't go up. Try again."

Yaya's hands, soft and small, felt like cold fire to Tsubomi. But the first year made it a point to glare at her tutor before trying again. She closed her eyes, envisioning herself back in church choir again, and took a deep breath...

She felt Yaya's hands press down hard on her shoulders. "Keep 'em down," the senpai instructed patiently.

Again, Tsubomi exhaled forcefully. All of this sporadic deep breathing was making her light-headed. Or perhaps it was having her section master so close behind her that was making the pinkette so light-headed.

"I can't do it," Tsubomi growled irately. "I can't fill up my diawhoseywotsits."

"Diaphragm. Yes, you can. Take the breath from deep in your throat, and you should feel your tummy go out."

Yaya took a hand off Tsubomi's shoulder and brought it to her midriff. Feeling the first year stiffen, she giggled, "This means nothing, don't worry. Just trying to gauge if you can breathe right or not. Pretend I'm Hikari-chan, feeling you up."

Tsubomi shot Yaya a glare that would stop a clock. "I don't like Hikari-senpai like that! Why do you keep saying that?"

"You always blush or get nervous in her presence, or when I mention her." Yaya was grinning, disregarding Tsubomi's scowl. "See? You're blushing right now."

"You know what? You are such a hypocrite!" The pinkette tore away from the third year, and turned to face her. "You accuse me of having a crush on Hikari-senpai when it is obviously _you _who likes her!"

Tsubomi watched triumphantly as Yaya dropped her goofy grin. A hot blush ebbed into her face and her normally hooded eyes widened. Nanto Yaya, the class clown who would moon the pope and hardly bat an eye, was mortified. She sheepishly played with a strand of her ebony hair and murmured, "Am I that obvious?"

"You are," the pinkette responded sharply. "You call her 'my Hikari-chan' and make jokes about her all the time."

Yaya sighed. "I guess I shoulda known that not _everybody's _as oblivious as Hikari-chan..." She brought her hands to her warm cheeks, never meeting the challenging gaze of her charge. "I wonder who else knows?"

"Probably everyone."

The senpai glared at Tsubomi. "Let's not worry about me and Hikari. We're here to make you a better singer. Now sing a concert F major scale."

In calling attention to Yaya's feelings for Hikari, Tsubomi had succeeded in getting the senpai off her back about her breathing. By Yaya's standards, the pinkette sang the scale pretty badly. She didn't support her voice, making her singing sound horribly flat and shrill in the higher notes. The brunette seemed oblivious to this egregious singing, though. She just sat leaning on the piano, her brown eyes dim and distant, her eyebrows knitted.

"Yaya-senpai."

The older girl started, and snapped back to reality. She looked questioningly at Tsubomi.

"I finished singing the concert F scale."

"Oh...Okay," Yaya muttered.

"Did it...um, sound alright?" Tsubomi asked.

The brunette nodded vaguely. "Yeah, sure. Sounded great. Next scale...Concert Bb major."

Tsubomi ran through all the scales, from concert F to concert G. Yaya didn't seem to really be listening to her, and she called the scales mostly in the wrong order. This rankled the pinkette, but it was something she really didn't know how to call attention to.

"Next scale," Yaya sighed.

Tsubomi glared. "There is no next scale."

"Oh...Hmm...Yeah, you're right." The senpai started playing with her cap.

"What do you want me to do now?"

Yaya closed her eyes and leaned her head tiredly on the piano. "Mmm, nothing really...You can just chill out..."

The pinkette roughly kicked the bench, startling Yaya so badly she tumbled off, the back of her head hitting the carpeted floor.

The senpai glowered viciously at Tsubomi. "You stupid little brat!"

"You can't just bring me back here just to sing scales, you jerk!"

"I'm your section master! I can do whatever I want!"

"How in the hell did an imbecile bum like you become section master, huh?" Tsubomi was prodding Yaya's flank none too gently with her sneakers. "Are you servicing Takahashi-sensei or what?"

Yaya's fist shot out at Tsubomi's ankle. Hitting the leg home, the senpai pushed the pinkette's legs out from under her. With a few frantic squeals, Tsubomi vainly tried to right herself. She fell to the floor, right on her back. Yaya rolled on top of her and roughly clamped a hand over her mouth. Tsubomi had half a mind to bite her.

"Take that back," the brunette growled.

Under Yaya's hand, Tsubomi aggressively shook her head. She thrashed and bucked wildly, trying with a will to liberate herself. But Yaya was strong. She had wee Tsubomi pinned to the spit-crusted floor, and wasn't about to let her go.

Tsubomi remembered tusseling with Akiko, her sister, when they were little. Whenever the pinkette had Akiko pinned with a hand over her mouth, the blue-haired girl would lick her hand. _That's something worth trying. _Amassing as much saliva as she could in her mouth, Tsubomi spewed it into Yaya's palm.

Yaya didn't release Tsubomi, but she faltered, cringing at the sticky spit. The kouhai took advantage of this opportunity. Bracing her hands against the senpai's chest, Tsubomi gave a mighty shove that sent Yaya sprawling. Now the pinkette had the upper hand. She pounced upon Yaya, belaboring her with her hands.

"Get off me, you bubblegum-haired freak!" Yaya screamed.

"Make me sing something!"

"I don't want to!"

"Then I won't get off you." Panting and red-faced, Tsubomi sat up. She was straddling Yaya's waist. The two of them sat there in that little practice room, glaring at each other, panting from fatigue. With the fight on pause, Tsubomi had the opportunity to really look at Yaya. The senpai's obsidian hair fanned out underneath her, glittering in the fluorescent light. She'd lost her cap somewhere in the spar, her robe was pushed up just below her chest, and her necklace was crooked, the cross resting a little to the left of her head.

"Make me sing something or I'll..." Tsubomi turned her tawny eyes upward, pensive. Then she grinned viciously. "...I'll tickle you!"

You can always tell whether someone's ticklish by the way they react to a threat like this. Judging by Yaya's reaction — bucking crazily and screeching, "No! Don't tickle me!" — it was safe to assume that she was very ticklish. Tsubomi dug her fingers into Yaya's sides, and the brunette squealed, her legs kicking out on their own accord. Tsubomi dashed her fingers roughly up and down Yaya's spine, more than savoring the helpless giggles and screams. Yaya tried to fight back, but she was powerless to. That would've felt lame to her, but right now her train of thought had abruptly halted on the tracks.

Exhausted at last, Tsubomi ceased her tickling. Sitting upright again, she watched and felt Yaya squirm with mirth, her nerve endings practically sobbing from the torture. She looked kind of cute in a childish way, laying there and giggling. In the tickle fight, Yaya's robe got pushed up further, fully exposing the powder blue polo underneath. The polo was a perfect fit for Yaya, adequetely revealing her shapely form.

Suddenly Aiko's voice popped into her head. "She has those giant breasts that would overflow your grasp!"

_They are pretty big, _Tsubomi realized. She wondered if Yaya in her laughing fit would notice if the pinkette would just quasi-casually brushed her hand against them...

She was suddenly aware of a red spot on Yaya's polo, and this time she instantly knew what it was.

"Shit," she grumbled.

Now Yaya was laughing for a completely different reason. Just as she had in the cafeteria earlier that day, Tsubomi jumped up and ran out of the practice room, leaving Yaya to roll on the floor and howl with laughter.

* * *

This chapter made me roll around, howling with laughter, too, so yay that makes two of us. Maybe more if you all found this funny.

NEXT CHAPTER: Definitely they'll play Truth or Dare. What does Hikari dare Yaya to do? What does Tsubomi ask Yaya?


	4. Chapter Four: Truth or Dare

I'm stupid. I just remembered that school years are divided into trimesters, not semesters. So we're actually in May now. When I get the time, I'll correct the previous chapters.

* * *

**COMING TO TERMS**

**Chapter Four**

**Truth or Dare**

Tsubomi darted out the back entrance of the cathedral, her head pounding with rage. There she came upon a wondrous garden — a fragrant rainbow of lilac, pansy, daisy, and bleeding heart against a jade ivy wall. The beauty, however, was lost on the kouhai, who was more focused on stemming the bleeding and how she would face Yaya after this.

The blood was copious, even more so than earlier today. Tsubomi tried pinching her nose and tipping her head back, but that only resulted in a nasty, rusty taste in the back of her throat. In the end she settled for blocking the flow with her choir gown. She stood for many a minute, occasionally switching to other parts of the gown.

"Oi! You'll ruin your robe doing that!"

Tsubomi jerked her head up, startled, to see Yaya standing in the back entrance with paper towels bunched together in her hand. Her brown eyes were wide with concern. Before the pinkette could say anything Yaya clapped a hand to her shoulder and held the towels to her nose. Her topaz eyes swimming, Tsubomi studied her expression. The senpai was looking away, her eyebrows slanted a touch, her face slightly pinkish. The two of them stood that way in silence until Yaya withdrew the paper towels. Then she burst into laughter again.

"Egad! You look like you killed someone!"

Tsubomi's nose and upper lip were caked with brownish-red dried blood, as were both her hands. Various cadmium stains splashed across her robe like violent continents on a map. The normally modest first year made a gruesome sight.

"Well, let's get you cleaned up, then…" Yaya sighed, guiding Tsubomi to a bathroom near the practice rooms. For someone who teased her a lot, Yaya was awfully kind to Tsubomi at times. She took the first year's robe and offered to clean it. She held back Tsubomi's sakura-colored locks while the kouhai bent over the sink to wash her face.

"Look. I'm, uh…sorry. Okay?" Tsubomi muttered as she washed her hands. She turned her blushing face toward Yaya, who looked away. "Sorry."

The raven-haired girl cleared her throat. "Has this…happened to you before?"

The answer could technically be _yes, _but the pinkette suspected Yaya meant _before you came to Spica. _"No."

Yaya closed her eyes and ran her fingers along her eyebrows. "Well…Don't stress over it. It happens to girls at this age." The brunette knew this was a conversation Tsubomi should've been having with her mother. But at Astraea Hill your mother isn't there for the advice you need most. At least Tsubomi wasn't subjected to a lecture about the sin of lust from a Sister — that was what happened to Yaya.

This was an awkward situation. The only way the senpai knew to rectify it was to make fun of Tsubomi.

"Just be glad it didn't happen in front of Hi-ka-riii," Yaya sang. "Oh, what would she think of you then —_Ow!_" she cried as the pinkette punched her shoulder. "Ease up, pal!"

"You wanna start this again? When will you give it up?"

"Aw, c'mon! I give you private lessons, I helped you clean up after your nosebleed, _and _I'm gonna clean your choir robe! This is how you treat me after all that?"

"You think just because you do all these nice things you can rag on me?" Tsubomi demanded.

"Sure," Yaya nodded, "considering how you accept favors."

The pinkette sighed, ruefully dropping her head down to her chest. "Arigatou."

"I'm gonna need more than that," Yaya grinned.

Tsubomi scowled at the older girl, making her laugh. Then she huffed, "Arigatougosaimasu."

"…Yaya-sama."

"Nani?" the kouhai blinked.

"'Arigatougosaimasu, Yaya-sama.'"

"I'm not saying all that!" Tsubomi growled.

Yaya shrugged blithely. "Alright." She turned her eyes reflectively toward the ceiling. "Let's see, if I were to tell Hikari-chan your secret, say, _tonight…_"

Tsubomi gawked at the raven-haired girl in horror. Then, shaking with outrageous fury, she ground out through clenched teeth, "Arigatougosaimasu, Yaya-sama."

Yaya smirked and tapped her chin thoughtfully. After a pause, she added, "I also want you to bow when you say that."

"What!!!"

"You heard me," the brunette giggled, savoring the kouhai's angry face, Tsubomi's chubby cheeks puffed out indignantly. "You look like a mad chipmunk."

Tsubomi could've punched the mirror, she was so livid. "I won't do that," she said in the calmest voice she could muster.

Another careless shrug. "Fine, then." Then Yaya pulled out her cell phone and began texting. "Hey…Hi…ka…ri…Guess…what…?" In truth, she was staring at her phone's home screen and pressing random buttons, but Tsubomi didn't know this. Giving in completely, the pinkette not only bowed and thanked her senpai graciously, she also brown-nosed her — Yaya would probably make her do that anyway.

"Arigatougosaimasu, Yaya-sama! I am nothing more than an unworthy, mortal first year! You, the almighty third year, should be put on a pedestal, perhaps even have a statue of yourself in the Parthenon! You really are that…um, great."

With an effort, she craned her head upward to get a look at Yaya's face.

The older girl nodded approvingly, her arms folded across her chest. "Wow, Tsubomi. That's more like it." She smiled. "But I have one more thing I need you to do."

"Hunga! Yaya-senpai! You're killing me!!!"

"So that's a 'no'?"

"It is! _Je refuse!_"

"Okay…Hmm…I wonder how Hikari-chan feels about pink-haired girls…"

"Yaya-senpai!!!"

"I know she likes brunettes…"

"C'mon, you lunatic! You're driving me crazy!"

"…But she may find your tsundere personality a turn-on…"

Tsubomi huffed. _Great. First I'm a brat, now I'm an anime caricature? _Hoping Yaya wouldn't request anything too outrageous, the kouhai gave in. "Fine. What the hell do you want?"

Yaya ceased her pontificating, seemingly surprised at getting her way so fast. Then she smiled brightly, her brown eyes sparkling. "Come to mine and Hikari's room after dinner tonight."

Tsubomi stiffened, unable to ignore the chill that ran through her limbs. "What do you want with me in your room?"

"Oh, Tsubomi-chan, don't you like surprises?"

---

_No, I do not like surprises, _Tsubomi snarled inwardly, stabbing rigatoni noodles with her fork. _Even less so when they come from Yaya-senpai. _With an aggravated sigh, she shoved the loaded fork into her mouth.

Katsuki seemed to notice Tsubomi's aggressive dining. While Hiroya and Aiko prattled on about what constitutes a perfect first date, the mauve-haired girl watched her pink-haired friend with concerned eyes.

Chewing grumpily, Tsubomi let her butterscotch eyes drift back over to Yaya and Hikari at the other table. Just the mere sight of the brunette made Tsubomi angry. She glared fiercely, hoping to burn a hole into the back of Yaya's head with her eyes. She never knew anyone who could make her this mad.

Yaya abruptly turned in her seat then. Hikari did as well. Neither of them seemed to notice the kouhai at first. Hikari appeared to be pointing somebody out. Yaya's gaze roamed across the dining hall until it locked with Tsubomi's. For a vulnerable moment, the pinkette actually faltered under the elder girl's piercing stare. Then Tsubomi tripled the power of her glower, making Yaya laugh.

_How can she just laugh when I feel this way? _Tsubomi thought helplessly, glumly reconsidering her dinner. _She makes so little of me…_

"Whacha thinkin' about, Tsubomi-chan?" Hiroya asked pointedly, offended that the pinkette hadn't been giving her her undivided attention.

Tsubomi shook her head.

"Who were you staring at?" Aiko inquired.

"Glaring, more like!" Hiroya grimaced. "I mean, wowee Tsubomi! I've never seen anyone glare like that!" She turned and scanned the dining hall for culprits. "Whoever it was, you must wanna kill her or something!"

"I could never kill Yaya-senpai," Tsubomi blurted. She instantly regretted saying that.

Aiko looked at the pinkette sharply. Hiroya's crimson eyes widened. Even Katsuki had a glint in her hazel eyes.

Hiroya's face split into a wicked grin. "O_ho!_" she crowed. "Why was Tsubomi-chan staring at Yaya-oneesama, eh eh?"

"Not so loud, baka!" Tsubomi hissed, but it was no use. The instant Hiroya said that, Yaya was looking back at their table. Her expression was one of open curiosity. "I-it's not like that," the pinkette stuttered. "I have a boyfriend." _A boyfriend whom I haven't heard from in a long time, _she realized. "How in the world could I like Yaya-senpai when she's a pretentious dimwit?" _I hope she hears that, too. _As a matter of fact, Yaya did. She frowned at Tsubomi, and Tsubomi scowled right back.

Hiroya shook her head as she continued eating her pasta. "Tsubomi-chan's not being honest with her own feelings…"

The roseate-haired first year ignored her friend's comment and carried on her glaring match with Yaya. But, like most of the things Hiroya said, it got through to her.

_Honest, is it…?_

---

"Konichiwa, Tsubomi-chan," Hikari greeted brightly, stepping aside to let the kouhai in.

"Konichiwagosaimasu, Hikari-senpai," Tsubomi returned. Then she frowned at Yaya and put her hands on her hips. "Okay, Yaya-baka. Here I am. What do you want with me now?"

Yaya shook her head. "Why do you treat me with such disrespect, but you're always willing to suck up to Hikari?" She snapped her fingers. "Oh, that's right. Right. You totally want to shag —"

Tsubomi jumped forward, clapping a hand over Yaya's mouth. "Matte, matte, matte. Let's not slander me right here, ne?"

"What? Am I wrong?" Yaya asked in a mock-innocent voice once Tsubomi withdrew her hand. "Would you rather Hikari shagged —"

"Stop saying that word!"

"Oh, alright," Yaya sighed. "There are plenty of synonyms. Screwed, laid, fucked —"

"Shut up, you…you…" Tsubomi couldn't think of any insults. She herself was getting more idiotic by the second. "Why are you doing this?"

"A pretentious dimwit, am I? What's pretentious about me?"

"Let's just play the stupid game, okay?" Hikari exclaimed. As mild-mannered as she was, even she was losing patience. Whenever Yaya and Tsubomi argued, she could feel the entire room's IQ dropping twenty or more points.

Without turning her angry stare from Yaya, Tsubomi asked, "What game?"

Yaya backed down from the staring contest. "We want you here because…" She held up a two-liter Pepsi bottle. "…Truth or Dare with just two people would be boring."

"'Truth or Dare'?" Tsubomi blinked. She looked questioningly at Hikari.

The blonde shrugged. "You got me. I've never heard of 'Truth or Dare.'"

"It's popular in Europe and America," Yaya explained. She set the bottle on its side in the center of the circular rug and sat down. "It's simple. Sit in a circle around the bottle, and take turns spinning it. Whomever the bottle points at, that person either has to answer a question honestly or do whatever the bottle spinner tells them."

The raven-haired girl watched as the color ebbed from her friends' faces.

Hikari spoke hesitantly. "I-isn't there another American game involving a bottle?"

"Hai. Spin the Bottle. Or Seven Minutes in Heaven." Yaya grinned. "Would you rather play that?"

"_No!!!_" Hikari and Tsubomi shouted.

Yaya decided they should rock-paper-scissors for the first turn. In the first round, they all made fists.

"Draw," Yaya murmured. "Go again."

This time they all made paper.

"Draw. Go again."

Tsubomi was a quick thinker. She knew her friends would make scissors. So the kouhai made a fist. "You're both out," she declared, tapping their scissors with her fist. Hikari and Yaya sat back whilst Tsubomi wordlessly spun the bottle.

It stopped at Hikari. Tsubomi frowned. She'd been secretly hoping it would land on Yaya.

"Truth or dare," the pinkette spoke flatly.

"Erm, truth."

Yaya snickered. "I know what Tsubomi wants to ask Hikari." She laughed harder when the first year glared. "_Oh, Hikari-senpai,_" she squeaked, impersonating Tsubomi's voice dead-on. "_I was just wondering if you'd like to go out with me —_"

"Shut up! I'm asking the question!" With a huff, Tsubomi turned back to Hikari. Disappointingly, she couldn't think of a good question.

"You can't take too long to think," Yaya sang.

"I said 'shut up!'" Suddenly, Tsubomi grinned. She had the perfect question to ask. If Yaya could do this stupid you-love-Hikari thing, then so could she. "How do you feel about dating Yaya-senpai?"

In her peripheral vision, Tsubomi saw the brunette wince. It was amazing how exquisitely beautiful Yaya's face could be, even when she was in pain.

Hikari, bless her, answered the question in her usual oblique, awkward way. "Er, I would date her, that is because, you know, she's...nice..."

_Nice. _Yaya grimaced. _I can't think of a less sincere compliment._

"Then why _don't _you date her?" Tsubomi pressed, looking right at the brunette.

Hikari started to answer, but Yaya silenced her. "You're only allowed to ask one question, _Tsubomi_," she growled. "Your turn, Hikari-chan."

Once she sensed her friends were done bickering, Hikari nervously flicked her wrist, sending the bottle spinning right off the rug. It rolled away toward the vent, the neck pointed directly at Yaya.

Hikari blinked. "Anoo...Truth or dare."

"Can you do that when the bottle's all the way over there?" Tsubomi asked.

The blonde girl considered. Then there was an audible _ping! _as a virtual lightbulb appeared above her head. "Yaya-chan just said you had to spin the bottle and ask the standard question to whomever it points at. She never said it still had to be on the rug."

Yaya laughed at her best friend's flustered temperament. "She's right. I choose dare." _She'll probably dare me to do something lame like cross my fingers and do ten jumping jacks._

Hikari was very hesitant. This game was so not her scene. She didn't want to make Yaya do anything too heinous.

"You're taking too lo-ong!" Yaya exclaimed.

This made Hikari more nervous. You could almost hear the fuses in her brain blowing.

"Don't rush her," Tsubomi argued.

"Ahh, sticking up for your crush, are you?"

"No. You're just being a bitch."

"Call me a bitch, eh, you impertinent kouhai—"

"_KISS TSUBOMI!!!_" Hikari blurted.

"What!?" Yaya exclaimed.

"What...?" Tsubomi practically whispered. It was difficult to tell who was more shocked. Yaya gaped, wide-eyed, at her room mate.

Hikari lowered her chin, staring boldly, but her small voice wavered when she spoke. "Y-you have to d-do it, Yaya-chan...A-a dare's a d-dare."

Yaya's brown eyes drifted uneasily toward Tsubomi, the last girl she'd want to kiss. _Why the hell would Hikari-chan dare me to do this? _Then it hit her. She grinned.

"I get it. Hikari's into voyeurism and wants to pretend she's Tsubomi. Is that right?"

Hikari had no idea what 'voyeurism' was. She nodded dumbly.

Yaya giggled. "Such a naughty girl my Hikari-chan is."

"Can w-we just get on with this?" Tsubomi spluttered. The mounting anxiety of anticipation was making her crazy.

Yaya glanced at Tsubomi, once again uneasy. It wasn't just that she thought the younger girl was bossy, rude, and opinionated. A bigger part of the problem was that they interacted one-on-one in their private lessons. They were becoming friends (albeit it was an odd friendship verbalized mostly through insults). The raven-haired girl didn't want to throw away the friendship they'd worked so hard to forge over a stupid kiss. _But a dare's a dare. And I want to make Hikari-chan happy. _Focusing only on Tsubomi's honey-colored eyes, Yaya scooted closer...

"And it has to be at least ten seconds long!" Hikari cried out.

Yaya hesitated, her angular nose rested alongside Tsubomi's round nose, their lips only centimeters apart. "Sorry, Hikari, but you can't modify your dare," she murmured, her sweet aroma spinning the pinkette right round. Then, tilting her head, Yaya gently pressed her lips against Tsubomi's.

Seeing as Yaya's lips were thin, not very pouty, Tsubomi had assumed they'd feel hard. But they actually were soft, so soft, and warm. Closing her eyes, she tilted her own head in accordance with Yaya's. The pinkette could not only smell Yaya, she could taste her, too. Even the taste of her was incredible, but it defied description. All too soon — or so Tsubomi thought — Yaya hastily broke off the kiss. Seeing her wipe her mouth and cringe reminded the first year that what they had done was just that: a kiss. A kiss with no meaning whatsoever, except...

"Gah, from now on I'm picking 'truth' with you!" Yaya spat, scowling at Hikari. "You and dares are bad news!"

"Yeah? How was it?" Hikari asked smartly. "I've never been kissed, so..."

"Horrible! God, Hikari! Wha'd you make me do that for?"

"Erm...'voyeurism,' was it?"

"Oh, yeah," Yaya smirked. "You and your dirty mind." She looked at Tsubomi. "Uh, hey, kiddo...? You alright?" She tapped the kouhai's knee.

Tsubomi gazed at the brunette with glazed eyes, her cheeks flushed a soft pink. She blinked her eyes as wide as her reverie would permit, and sighed, "I'm fine."

Hikari smiled gently at Tsubomi. "That was Tsubomi-chan's first kiss, ne?"

A shudder rippled through the first year; the reality of it was settling in. "H-hai..."

Yaya shook her head at Hikari. "You made me steal her first kiss."

_Yes, you stole my first kiss, but I liked it, _Tsubomi wanted to say. That was what disturbed her: how much she liked it. Upon looking at Yaya she wanted — even needed — to kiss her again.

It was weird. She felt so little when George, a childhood friend, kissed her. But she felt so much when Yaya, a friend of one month, kissed her. It was all backwards. Or maybe she was the one who was backwards.

Yaya retrieved the bottle, set it back in the center of the rug, and spun it. It pointed at Tsubomi.

"Truth or dare."

"...Dare." The kouhai was appropriately frightened of what Yaya would ask her. 'Dare' seemed safer.

Yaya didn't hesitate. "Empty that Pepsi bottle."

Well, maybe not all _that _much safer.

Tsubomi cringed at the immense, two-liter bottle. "All of it?"

"Every drop."

The pinkette picked up the bottle, weighing it in her hand. She was getting sick just looking at it. Even more sickening was that there was no carbonated hiss when she opened the bottle. The soda was flat.

"I don't even _like _Pepsi," Tsubomi scowled, "but I guess I have to..." After a few measured breaths, she tipped the bottle back, wincing as the harsh liquid stung her throat. Hikari and Yaya were shocked — but not nearly as much as their kouhai friend — when Tsubomi drained the whole two-liter bottle in one go. With a disgusted gasp, the pinkette let the now empty container fall from her trembling hand.

"God, that was..." Tsubomi cut herself short as a belch shocked her slight form. "That was just..." Another belch, and a cough. "...disgusting. Absolutely revolting."

Hikari checked her watch. "It's about 1900 hours now. Good luck getting to sleep tonight."

Tsubomi's distress was almost tangible. _I'll get you for this, Yaya-senpai! _To her delight, the bottle pointed at the brunette when she spun it.

"Truth or dare," the pinkette challenged.

"Dare."

"Why do you always choose 'dare'?" Hikari inquired.

"Do you have something you'd like to ask me?" Yaya teased.

"No. Just curious."

The raven-haired girl shrugged. "Just more fun, doncha think?"

Hikari wasn't inclined to agree.

Tsubomi leered at Yaya. "I dare you to come to choir rehearsal e-everyday for a whole w-week." Her voice trembled; the Pepsi was already giving her the jits.

"What?! What kind of a dare is _that?_" Yaya protested.

Tsubomi crossed her arms and smiled smugly. "You have to do it. A dare's a dare."

"You said you have to do whatever the bottle spinner tells you. You never outlined specifications," Hikari pointed out.

"You and your damn loopholes..." Yaya muttered.

"If you don't like the tasks you're assigned, then you shouldn't keep choosing dare," Tsubomi snapped. She was then overcome by a wave of nausea. Way too much soda. Her stomach felt like she'd swallowed a large stone. "I-I think I have to go now..."

Yaya laughed. "Jeez, you have to pee already? That Pepsi passed through fast!"

"Sh-shut up...Got a history test to study for..." Tsubomi was so wired, she could see the atomic structures vibrating in the bottle. She shakily got up. "Y-you'll carry out that dare, Yaya-senpai..."

"Yes, mother," Yaya snorted sarcastically.

Bowing to her senpais, the pinkette departed then.

* * *

NEXT CHAPTER: Yaya and Tsubomi always argue, but what happens when one of them takes it too far?


	5. Omake One: Apples to Apples

Alright, since I'm totally awesome and a little bored, I typed this omake based on a conversation my friends and I had about autumn and apples. Enjoy!

* * *

_Omake One: Apples to Apples_

**Author: **I'm so happy it's autumn. For me, there are so many awesome things in autumn…My birthday, for one…

**Yaya: **The leaves turning color is my favorite. It's like nature's own fireworks display.

**Hikari: **I like the longer nights, and the autumn choir concert.

_Long pause. Everyone looks at Tsubomi._

**Tsubomi: **…Ehh? Fall isn't my favorite season, okay? I have to bag leaves and the air outside stinks.

**Yaya: **Is Tsubomi-chan sure it's the _air _she's smelling?

**Tsubomi: **Nando yo?!

**Author: **Uh…anyways! (_aside_) Dealing with their arguments so isn't my forte. (_to Yaya, Tsubomi, and Hikari_) And how about the apples? I'm so glad I can have honey crisp again!

**Tsubomi: **I love honey crisp apples. They do make up for the stinky air.

**Yaya: **Don't make me say it…

**Tsubomi: **Say what?

**Yaya: **Do you want me to say it?

**Tsubomi: **…???

**Yaya: **Again, are you sure it's the _air _that --- Oww, my arm! You little twerp!

**Hikari: **Yaya-chan always liked granny smith apples, ne?

**Yaya: **Hai. I can't stand honey crisp. Too sweet.

**Tsubomi: **Ugh, granny smith…Figures Yaya-senpai would enjoy eating tart, unpleasant things.

**Yaya: **Hai, and you would fall under that category. Tsubomi-chan's tarty and unpleasant, and I very much enjoy eating her!

**Tsubomi: **_Uuwahh?! _Get off me! Why are you doing this, Yaya-senpai? Don't do this right here! This is inappropriate!

**Yaya: **Oops, my delicious Tsubomi fell to the floor. There's always the three seconds rule…

**Hikari: **Oh, my goodness…!

**Author **(_turning toward camera and making a slashing motion across her throat_)**: **Cut, cut!

_The video snaps off._


	6. An Author's Note?

**Please accept my humble apologies.**

If you've checked my profile recently you probably already know what this is concerning. I'm discontinuing all my Strawberry Panic! fanfics...at least for now. Maybe someday in the distant future I can pick them back up where I left off, but I can't see that happening within...maybe three years. I guess I started too many big SP! stories, bit off more than I could chew, and then started a big K-ON! story to boot. Also, I sorta knew that one day I'd really burn myself out on Strawberry Panic! and I guess that day has come. Don't worry, I love it all the same and there really are some terrific fics on this archive that I may never grow tired of reading. One day I'll probably rekindle my interest in writing for this series...Sort of like how I rekindled my interest in the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini (I used to be obsessed with that series).

At any rate, I may still drop in a one-shot or two, or some parodies. I just can't immerse myself in any big projects right now. Not just fanfiction, but _anything. _I'm getting married in February (no, not on Valentine's Day because that's a cliche), so that means I have to dedicate myself half to finding a job to support this new life and half to working on my graphic novel series Vernal Equinox which I intend to publish (yes, it's yuri). I'm working on a sort of parody-survey for Strawberry Panic! which I found on the Inheritance Cycle archive. I'll publish it as soon as I finish. Shouldn't take long.

On my profile I've listed some of my favorite series and pairings, so if any of them are your favorites as well you can possibly expect a story in their respective archives. I'm also trying to create a Strawberry Panic! abridged series on YouTube, under my beezyh5 account. I've finished creating the opening, so if it interests you, subscribe and comment and stuff.

I'm sorry that I can't continue these fics now. But seriously, look on this archive and you'll find some real gems. I would list them here, but I dunno...seems kinda wrong to either endorse or hate on a fic in this setting. I'm just saying that there are superior alternatives to my Strawberry Panic! stories.

For what it's worth, I had fun writing these. Thank you all for your reviews and support. Nothing means more to a writer!

~TamaoXNagisa4EVER


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